Vehicle-tongue.



M. E. ANDERSON.-

VEHICLE TONGUE.

APPLICATION FILED Aue.24. 1916.

I Patented May 14, 1918.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARTIN E. ANDERSON, OF DE KALIB, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD THIMSELF, ONE-THIRD TO FRANK G. ANDERSON, AND ONE-THIRD T0 ANDREW 0.ANDERSON,

BOTH OF DE KAL B, ILLINOIS.

VEHICLE-TONGUE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARTIN E. ANDER- soN, a citizenv of the UnitedStates, and a resident of De Kalb, in the county of Dekalb, State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle-Tongues, of which the following is a specification, reference being hadto the accompallii ing drawing.

y invention relates to tongues for vehicles and it has for its principalobject the provision of new and improved means for attachin a tongue toa vehicle. It is one of the 0 jects of m invention to provide attachingmeans 0 this type which are readily adjustable to suit various widthsand angles of hounds. It is another object of my invention to improvedevices of this type in sun details hereinafter pointed out. The preerred means by which I have accomplished my several objects areillustrated in the drawings and are hereinafter specifically described.That which I believe to be new and desire to cover by this applicationis set forth in the claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a top view of the rear end of a tongueillustrating the means of attachment to the hounds of a vehicle; and

Fi 2 is a side view of the parts shown in F 1, but with one of thehounds remove Referring to the several figures of the drawings in whichcorresponding parts are indicated by the same reference charactors;-

1011 indicate channel-irons spaced apart at their rear ends by aspacing-block 12, forming together a pole or tongue for a vehicle, theforwardly-projecting hounds 13 and 1 of which are shown. The tonguecomprising the channel-irons 10-11 is secured to the hounds 13-1t bymeans of heavy straps of steel 1516 so connected with the tongue as tobe adjustable relative thereto for changing the angle of the outerportions thereof which lie adjacent to the hounds 1314. The straps 1516are adjustably connected near their forward ends to the channel-irons10-11 by means of a bolt 17 passing through the tongue and through slots18-19 in said straps, whereby Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 14, 1918.

Application filed August 24, 1916. Serial No. 116,621.

the forward ends of said straps are adjustable backward and forwardrelative to the channel-irons. TheforWardly-turned rear ends of thestraps 1516 are connected to the rear ends of the channel-irons 101l bymeans of a screw-threaded pin 20 passing through the channel-irons andthrough slots 2122 in the straps 1516 respectively, whereby the rearends of the straps are adjustable forward and backward relative to thechannel-irons, the rear ends of the straps being adapted to be heldrigidly in position relative to the channel-irons by means of nuts 23mounted upon the screw-threaded pin 20.

A screw-threaded pin or rod 24 passes through the channel-irons 1012 andthe spacing block 12 intermediate the front and rear ends of the straps15-46, being held in position relative to the channel-irons by means ofnuts 25. Oppositely-notched clips 26 mounted upon the screw-threaded pin24- in position to embrace the straps 15-16 are held in adjustedposition along such screwthreaded rod by means of nuts 27. The tongue asa whole is secured to the hounds 1314 by means of ahorizontally-extending pivot pin 28 passing through the said hounds,through the straps 16-15, and through the channel-irons 101l near theirrear ends.

By making the straps 1516 of heavy material adapted to be sprungslightly relative to the channel-irons 1011, I have provided aconstruction by which the portions of the straps which engage the hounds13-14 may be adjusted relative to such hounds so as to have a properworking fit regardless of slight variations in the distance between suchhounds and regardless of slight variations in the angle of one houndrelative to the other. As will be readily understood, by loosening thenuts on the screw-threaded pins or bolts 17 20 and 24, the straps 1516can be shifted backward or forward relative to the channelirons 10-11and relative to the pivot pin 28, and the forward ends of the bearingportions of the straps can be spread apart or compressed relative toeach other by a proper adjustment of the nuts 27 upon the rod 24 forbringing about the desired adjustment of the straps. A tightening of theseveral clamping means thereupon serves to hold thestraps in propercondition.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of a tongue, and means for attaching said tongue tothe hounds of a vehicle comprising attaching members secured to oppositesides of the tongue having flexible outer bearing p0rtions in the formof metal straps adapted to bear against the hounds of the @vehicle, ascrew-threaded rod secured to said tongue and extending transversely tosaid straps, oppositely-notched clips upon opposite end portions of saidand embracing said straps, andn-uts upon said rod for clamping-saidclips in-the desired adjusted position upon said straps.

2. combination of -a tongue, (and means for attaching said tongue to thehounds of a vehicle, said-means comprising resilient metal strapssecured at the end 1301- end portionstoop'posite sides of the tongue andmovable longitudinally thereof and having their intermediate :portions-bowed-oat Wardly to .yieldi'ngly bear against Lthe hounds,-means forslidingly connecting the said bowed portions to the hounds,,-;a :rod

projecting laterally at ea-eh :side of the tongue, and movablefmeans onsaid rod for engaging said straps. and holding them .in adgustedpositions W1th1i'espeet:to said rod.

MARTIN ANDERSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for-five cents each,.by addressingthe Commissioner of =Ialtents,

Washington, D. G.

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